Black Kites

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Science & Society, Art & Environment

Ed Hessler 

Indian Filmmaker Shaunak Sen witnessed a raptor which had been circling the polluted sky over Delhi drop to the ground in mid-flight." He wondered what had happened to them. 

A Google search led him to two brothers, Nadeem Shehazad and Muhammad Saud, who have spent their lives trying to save black kites. The sky from which they fell is their home, regardless whether it is polluted or not. What keeps them there is food. Black kites are opportunistic feeders and also snatch away kills from other birds. The link describes them and their interesting behaviors and life preferences.

Meeting the two brothers led to the production of the film All That Breathes, the winner of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival documentary prize. This short video (3 m 21 s) describes the work and also can serve as an introduction to the full film. Here is the official trailer (2 m 40 s)